Day2: Delhi

Of course we had our breakfast and left Shunti for more sightseeing. Food there is so-so. Not too good, not too bad either. We went to Red Fort. Opposite to Red Fort are a Jain temple and a birds hospital.

1.Red Fort
Red Fort is a huge complex. It was once the Mughals' property, now a historic monument of national importance. As you enter, to the right, you can find a park called the August 15 Park. There are many more structures inside the complex - like the Diwan-e-aam, Diwan-e-Khaas, Moti Mahal, to name a few. There is Chatta Chowk, which is sort of a passage with numerous small shops. You get glistening purses, clay show items, stoles, shawls and artificial jewellery. Also, there is a museum where you can find paintings, murals and other objects related to the Indian Freedom Struggle. Like any other place in New Delhi, it is neatly maintained, and the lawns and flowers add to the beauty.

Laal Kila

Handbags, Chatta Chowk

Masks, Chatta Chowk

The Museum

2.Akshardham Temple
A temple with a golden shrine of Swaminarayan, Akshardham temple is an architectural marvel. It gives immense delight to the eyes, firstly because of its splendor, and secondly because cameras and mobiles are not allowed. Leave apart cameras, there is a lengthy list of prohibited things - Shampoo, marker pen, soap, to name a VERY few. So first you go through a long evaluation process. You are checked thrice in a row! Once you're declared harmless, you're let in. You're let in to see a humungous temple. Each entrance is highly decorated. One such entrtance has got hundreds peacock heads beautifully carved in it! (I am not sure of the number though.. I still feel it is around 280 but rounded it off to the vaguest possible number I could think of..). It's called the Mayur Dwaar. There is a huge hall meant for selling things like booklets, and promoting their activities such as boat ride. Mindblowing photographs are also hung on the wall. Then we come out of it and go straight to the temple. Its interior is entirely marble. Intricate designs are skillfully carved out of marble pillars. At the centre is the golden shrine of Swaminarayan. He's surrounded by his golden disciples. There are tall doors on all four sides, but only one is open, through which tourists like us enter and exit. Then there is a Bhojanalay. We decide to eat there. I thought it is like these "dharma chatras" here, so half heartedly followed my dear companion. But it was not a Bhojanalay, it was a Food Court. Yeah both mean the same, but the tone makes a difference. Like, you everything from plain rice-dal to pizza here. Here too, food was so-so, but we had enough. (We didn't have pizza). Jaychi ate a kulfi and I drank sugarcane juice. So lunch over. Bye Akshardham!

Akshardham Temple

3.Lotus Temple
Also known as the Bahai Temple it is a silent place meant for peple of all castes, creed and religion. It is a place to keep your mouth and eyes shut and listen to verses from The Gita, The Bible, The Quran, Teh Guru Granth Sahib. Volunteers read them out aloud, while we sit with eyes closed. Utter silence is maintained. Outside is a neatly kept lawn growing many flowers, with a pathway leading to the Temple. There is an open pool at the basement where I don't think people swim. People just sit near the pool and take snaps. This place is crowded too, but once you come inside and close your eyes, it seems like you are the only one there. At least that is expected to happen. So we have seen Lotus Temple. "Salaam wale qum" Qutb!

Lotus Temple

4.Qutb Minar
When we say Qutb Minar, we usually don't mention about the rather unpopular structures in its surrounding. There are many more structures around it, like the Alai Minar, Alaudin Khilji's Tomb and college, Iltutmish's tomb, Smith's Folly, etc. Jaychi and I got an audio guide. It would have been really helpful if we had followed it strictly. But it was an old map and a lot had changed. Some construction was still going on. It was very informative, however. As usual my camera towards the end of the day.

Qutb Minar

College and Tomb of Allaudin Khilji

Alai Minar

There was still time, and no idea how Mrs.Rashtrapatni, our friend, came to know of this. She called us for a second cup of tea! :P We went and took better photos, of course because it was not dark yet. We decided against revisiting India Gate, as we had got good photos and the lighting there was sufficient at night. We went to Connaught Place and ate at Saravana Bhavan(I liked the Dosa there!). Jayashree and I went to the nearby Pizza Hut at Connaught Place, and got a Pizza parceled. We went back to Shunti and freshed ourselves. It was decided that we are going to Agra the next day. We switched on the Idiot Screen(not Box in this case, as it is flat screen). We watched the last quarter of Titanic and simultaneously had pijja. Very touching movie. Should see the whole movie once... Yeah after all this we slept. Jaychi must have read Twilight for a while and then slept. I'm not sure. Good night Delhi!